THE father of four-year-old Ballymurphy boy Dáithí Mac Gabhann have welcomed progress on soft opt-out organ donation legislation, which passed its second stage in the Assembly on Monday. 

If passed, the legislation would mean people automatically become organ donors unless they choose to opt out.

The bill, which was approved 69 votes to six, will now go before the health committee.

Four-year-old Dáithí  Mac Gabhann was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome and now requires a heart transplant.

The efforts of his family, who set up the Donate4Dáithí campaign to raise awareness of organ donation, helped pave the way for Health Minister Robin Swann's soft opt out bill.

The DUP had previously blocked attempts to pass a bill, but agreed to allow it to proceed through the Assembly after meeting organ donation campaigners in June. However, with the DUP threatening to collapse the Assembly over the Northern Ireland Protocol, uncertainty looms over the legislation's passage.

Speaking to the Andersonstown News, Dáithí's dad, Máirtín Mac Gabhann, said: "There is still a lot going on in the background with the potential collapse of the Assembly, but that's out of our control. 

"Back in June we couldn't have imagined in getting this far this quickly – we're delighted."

He continued: "In our case, Dáithí is waiting on a new heart, and organ donation and transplantation is usually a last chance.

"We're appealing to people and to politicians to listen to us and put themselves in our position for one. Imagine the person you love most in the world, and their last chance was transplantation. It is in our politicians hands to increase people's chances if they pass this law. That's why we're shouting from the rooftops and that's why we wan't it to go through."

Despite widespread public and political support for the soft opt out bill, opposition came in the form of comments to the BBC from transplant surgeon Dr Tim Brown.

"I would like that the norm in society, that if somebody does find themselves in the tragic position of being an organ donor, I would like it to be normal for them to go and donate without any need for them to be on a list," he said.

"I think education and support around donation is the way to achieve that, legislation is a further step that I don't think is necessary." 

Addressing Dr Brown's commented, Mr Mac Gabhann said: "Tim Brown is a lifesaver and hero in his own right, and we agree that education and awareness has a massive part to play in normalising the conversation around organ donation – that's what Donate4Dáithí is about – but we disagree with him wholeheartedly on this bill. 

"This bill and the introduction of this bill will create more awareness around organ donation and it will create more educational opportunities for organ donation.

"This law won't come into effect with the click of our fingers. It will take a period of a year where there will be a massive awareness drive from the Department of Education, the Public Health Agency and the likes of ourselves will get behind it. That will be a full year where organ donation will be in the public eye, making them aware of their rights around this bill, and we believe it will only be a positive thing. 

He added: "This is all about normalising the conversation in society, and soft opt out organ donation is clearly, to us, a part of that."

Meanwhile, the Mac Gabhann family's campaign received another boost with the launch of Lámh Dhearg GAC's new Donate4Dáithí goalkeepers' jersey for footballers, hurlers, and camogs.